waste reduction

Count-down on rural curbside recycling

On Tuesday evening, the Board of County Commissioners will hold a public hearing on recycling. There has been a change in the way the law is being interpreted which makes the current fee system questionable. Currently the county is divided into 3 sections. Some of the rural community pays for 2 of the 3R fees (availability and convenience centers) and the portion of the rural community that gets curbside collection on recycling pays for those same 2 + an additional fee of $38 for collections. A new funding source is needed for the curbside collections portion of the fee (a service that effects about 13,000 residents).

The county is considering 3 options to get around this legal issue. 1) go to a solid waste authority (like OWASA) that would be a separate operational and financial unit, 2) create 3 solid waste tax districts, or 3) eliminate curbside collection for neighborhoods outside of a city limit.

Less trash at Hog Day

Kudos to Hillsborough Hog Day for trying to go (almost) garbage-free! I wonder if Chapel Hill would try this for FestiFall?

[Hog Day logo] "Our goal is waste minimization, reducing waste in the first place and composting and recycling as much as we can," said Muriel Williman of Orange County's Solid Waste Management Department and a Hog Day Committee member. "While some trash is expected, we would like to reduce waste by 75-80 percent, even 90 percent. With everyone's help, we can."

Visitors should expect to see vendors serving on paper plates and bowls, or using wax paper to wrap food. Vendors will also be using biodegradable utensils (made from corn, potato or wheat starch) though most people will not even notice the difference. The goal is to be able to compost as much as possible. Any plastic utensils, film, condiment packets or other plastic can contaminate the compost collection.

 

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